Category: Uncategorized (Page 20 of 24)

Dear Hiring Manager, 

I am writing to express my interest in becoming a camp counselor and joining the Camp Seaside team. After reading your advertisement in the Portland Press Herald, I was eager to bring my enthusiasm to this essential community-serving position. 

Currently enrolled at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, I am pursuing a major in English and Political Science as well as a minor in Writing. Exploring a range of studies has been an excellent chance to take control of my learning, engage in organizational and time management skills, and get involved in extracurricular activities. Starting a club, for instance, has bolstered my communication and leadership skills in a hands-on setting. 

Throughout my four years of high school, babysitting for one family allowed for a special opportunity to expand my abilities working with children of different ages. When I began working, the two siblings were 4 and 7 years old, then 8 and 11 at the end of my time with them. As a camp counselor for Camp Seaside, these years of practical learning, from managing their daily activities to resolving conflicts, will be a great asset – allowing campers to have the best and most positive experience possible. 

Thank you for your time and consideration of my application, and I look forward to assisting you further throughout this process. I have provided my personal phone number and email address below; please feel free to reach out at your convenience. 

Yours Sincerely, 

Elia O’Hara

eohara@une.edu 

(207) 412-8185

Specific skills and qualities, the employer is looking for: 

• Support key advocacy priorities and our responses to important current events as they arise by, for example, completing research, drafting communications and documents, organizing programs and events, and more  
• Provide insight on team program plans to advance civil rights, and civil liberties across Maine  
• Engage with the public as representatives of the ACLU of Maine at outdoor community events such as “Juneteenth Ain’t Enough” and Portland Pride. 
• Take initiative by identifying additional projects of interest to work on  
• Work collaboratively and respectfully with a diverse team of colleagues  
• Complete other tasks as assigned 
• Dedicated to defending and advancing civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice  
• Demonstrates commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging 
• Willing to approach work with a growth mindset  
• Driven to work both independently and as part of a team to complete projects on a timely schedule 
• Ready to work in a fast-paced environment, incorporate constructive feedback, and learn-by-doing 

My educational, experience, skills, and qualities that might be relevant: 

• Currently enrolled at the University of New England, Majoring in English and Political Science and minoring in Writing
• Dean’s List academic year 3 semesters 
• 2022 Alumni College Essay Scholarship recipient | Essay on reproductive health and the law
• President of the Arts and Humanities Club 
• Member of the College of Arts and Science Dean’s Student Leadership Advisory Council 2022-present 
• Writing Fellow at the University of New England – paid peer writing tutor 
• Member of Generation Action, a club of Planned Parenthood
• Organized local protest for reproductive rights summer of 2022
• Summer internship at Hale & Hamlin – a local law firm in Ellsworth, Maine 
• Internship with Local representative Sarah Pebworth
• Research contributor for the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics on their Resolution for the support of the Equal Rights Amendment 

Match and Rank the two lists: 

1. Support key advocacy priorities and our responses to important current events as they arise by, for example, completing research, drafting communications and documents, organizing programs and events, and more → My major and minor align well with the responsibilities needed for these requirements. Also, my interest in writing about and taking action when current events I am passionate about arise, such as essays, research, and community events 
2. Driven to work both independently and as part of a team to complete projects on a timely schedule / Work collaboratively and respectfully with a diverse team of colleagues  / Take initiative by identifying additional projects of interest to work on  → Seen through my initiative in starting clubs, joining clubs of interest to me, good academic standing showcases my ability to take control of my success in my educational pursuits 
3. Ready to work in a fast-paced environment, incorporate constructive feedback, and learn-by-doing  → My previous internship at a law office helps with my experiential learning in an atmosphere of deadlines, independent work, and problem-solving 
4. Demonstrates commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging → My passion for highlighting areas where social justice intersects with academic work allows me to bring these crucial topics surrounding equality and a sense of justice to my student career. 
5. Provide insight on team program plans to advance civil rights and civil liberties across Maine  / Engage with the public as representatives of the ACLU of Maine at outdoor community events such as “Juneteenth Ain’t Enough” and Portland Pride. → I only have one example of engaging with a larger-scale event like a protest. 

February 10, 2023

Dear Ms. Hooke, 

I am writing to express my interest in joining the Maine ACLU team as a summer intern for 2023. After reading your advertisement on the ACLU of Maine website, I was eager to bring my enthusiasm to advocate for equality, justice, and representation through this essential community-serving position. 

I am a second-year student at the University of New England with a double major in English and Political Science and a double minor in Writing and Health, Law, & Policy. My interest in the legal field and writing are propelled through internships at local law firms and with local state representatives. Additionally, I have participated in local initiatives ranging from organizing local protests, conducting research for Maine organizations, and enmeshing my academic writing with topics I am passionate about for scholarship opportunities. 

As a summer intern, I can rely on practical experiences such as my role working with a variety of professionals and peers in my position as a writing tutor. I am also the founder and President of the Arts and Humanities club on campus, which allows me to be creative when planning events and practice clear, thoughtful communication to ensure our goals are met.  

Having looked up to the ACLU as a pillar of social justice and a human rights champion since I began to pose questions about the world around me, this position would make my years of admiration and desire to do my part a reality. 

Thank you for your time and consideration of my application, and I look forward to assisting you further throughout this process. I have provided my phone number and email address below; please feel free to reach out at your convenience.

Yours Sincerely, 

Elia O’Hara 

eohara@une.edu

(207) 412-8185

Chapter 10 on Cover Letters discusses how to write and understand the tools and techniques behind a stand-out cover letter for job applications. A few items I would point out for readers would be to take the extra time and hone in on those small details because those are what matter in and out of the professional sphere; employers know that. Things such as checking out the website to try and understand the essence of the company and if you think it’s a good fit, making a quick call asking for some names or information about the company, and always paying attention to grammar, spelling, and format. This indicates other themes that resonate with this course as well, such as an overall responsibility for your writing that highlights you, your education, and your character. Despite the cover letter being a business document, adding those key points of personalization will help set you apart. Another crucial element to take into consideration builds upon what the last chapter discussed, the AIDA format. Layering in the Cs of good professional writing, the chapter also highlights how to manipulate that basic formula into personalized and effective information for each job application with ideas such as writing for an audience of a prospective employer who wants to know what you can do for them. It’s also important to remember that the cover letter is not where you delve into specific details of your best and most awe-inspiring accomplishments but a short and persuasive insight into what’s to come.

Journal Entry #1 

Two important points and most significant takeaways from this chapter stemmed from the overarching idea that good communication is essential to any professional sphere within the focus of writing. The first lies in the ability to have control and understanding of grammar and the techniques of writing. The biggest misunderstanding the text explains from this idea is that our education system has made grammar secondary to the expression of ideas and creativity within students. The correction of this idea, I feel, is incredibly essential – not only is creativity enhanced by the ability to freely experiment with thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively made possible by those “persnickety” rules of writing, but creativity also goes to waste when an individual cannot express themselves because their own writing hinders it. 

Another point from this section of the book expresses that being accountable for writing well is impacting more individuals than before, as technology has enabled one person to do the job of many in previous years. This brings in the importance of feeling confident in skillfully writing for an audience, presenting not only yourself but your place of employment and sometimes even a representative of an entire profession in the highest light. Connecting back to the most prominent theme when exploring professional and technical writing, good communication, the text stated, “Regardless of what profession you ultimately choose, you will almost certainly be using these skills every single day, both on the job and off”(20). 

Journal Entry #2 

As discussed in the chapter on plain language, one of the big points focused on deciphering the style and intent of academic versus business writing. From this, the discussion on specialized writing tended to align with written works in academic fields where knowledge of specific jargon, background knowledge, and format tends to be structured based on particular disciplines. Whereas business writing gears toward generalist strategies where “This audience calls for a less specialized vocabulary and less complex set of concepts”(27). Additionally, professional writing can feel more stylized in visual matters like images, lists, and graphics to make the information easier to present (26).

 Leading from this, the second essential point is the concept of plain language or plain English. Unlike the lesser-known jargon in fields like law, plain language emphasizes “concrete and specific examples rather than abstractions to be as clear as possible” (27). Again, the idea of creating effective and efficient communication based on serving a wide range of prospective audiences comes back to learning, sometimes relearning, the formats, tools, and techniques to offer clarity. In that same line, it is helpful to maintain the perspective of business and career writing where revenue and spending are taken into account; the easier it is to convey the purpose of written works, the success often follows when misunderstandings, complaints, and costs are reduced due to plain English writing.

Framing Statement:

Thinking about the work I have done for my major in English and Political Science and then reflecting on this semester’s coursework in literary criticism, for one, I noticed an incredible overlap between the topics and theorists we covered and those within my political science courses. I knew that my two majors complimented each other well just based on bolstering my writing and reading skills, but I hadn’t thought about the possibilities of topics of literary criticism and theory such as Marxism, post-colonial studies, Freudian psychoanalysis, and feminist theory to appear even within my intro-level political science courses. In past English courses, especially ENG 229, which looked at the origins of the novel, I found many connections within our course surrounding narratology and the structures of literature, as well as where the role of authors comes in when analyzing their work. Taking this into account, I feel that the cultural and intellectual relevancies from my two majors extend our work across disciples by utilizing well-known theorists, concepts, and cultural markers to engage with specific areas of each major that left me with a feeling of cohesion, knowing what I am studying has broader implications and significance. 

Within the learning outcomes for my English major, I found the point of being able to “Read texts closely and critically through the conscious application of methods and insights drawn from a range of critical theories” went well with this project as I had to analyze two primary works, one being outside of this class and find and explain their relevance within two theories. Another category was “Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of literature in English with special attention to theory and criticism as a field,” which I felt was the very claim I tried to make within the project. Looking to theory and criticism as a way to enhance and deepen our understanding of literature is vital.

 I thought of this project as an in-depth and reflective scavenger hunt, and looking back through all of the work I did this semester showed me how many directions, and interesting perspectives can arise from theory. Through the modality of an essay, I feel that I have interpreted primary pieces of literature and connected them to various theories while gaining an understanding of those far-reaching historical and cultural moments that created them. 

Final Project Essay:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hDGhgmOA-siwuDFQRDWXda5ShXwQB36KX6XEh9A5WOA/edit?usp=sharing